CBS This Morning

U.S. analysts weigh threats after Afghan shooting

(CBS News) U.S. counterterrorism analysts are still trying to assess a potential threat to the U.S. in response to the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, allegedly by a U.S. soldier.

Appearing on "CBS This Morning," senior correspondent John Miller, said the threats right now are two-pronged: The continued threat in the theater of war in Afghanistan, and the secondary threat here on U.S. soil.

Miller said that yesterday at the National Counterterrorism Center at the Department of Homeland Security, "A lot of conference calls [were] going on saying, 'What do we do? Who do we warn? Do we come out with a Homeland Security Bulletin saying extra vigilance, increased security at military installations here on U.S. soil, especially recruiting stations which are widely accessible and open to the public?'

"They're still trying to figure out how to set the right tone on that, and assess what the threat is," Miller said.

Gayle King asked if there are specific civilian targets that people should be concerned about - airports, subways or malls, for example?

Miller replied, "Any of that is always possible and trying to engage what's the most likely target can be difficult. Obviously the military target is the obvious one here.

Miller said that, according to a key intelligence analyst, the reaction to an incident such as this can take a long time to come light. "For instance, in the case where there were the cartoons of Muhammad in the Danish newspaper, it was a very complex plot but it was [uncovered] more than two years later."

The plan, hatched out of Chicago, involved taking over the newspaper in Denmark, holding hostages and beheading people on live television. It was never carried out.

Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana and David Coleman Headley were arrested in October 2009. Headley, after pleading guilty, testified for the government against Rana, whom a federal jury convicted in June 2011 of providing material support to terrorism.

The plot, Miller said, "took a long time to put together, so the reaction is not always immediate."

To watch the entire interview with John Miller click on the video player above.